Footballer Jack Wilshere has not found himself wanting for advice in the wake of his latest brush with "the camera-phone paparazzi", after he was thrown out of a nightclub in central London.
The Arsenal midfielder was questioned by police "in a rubbish-strewn alleyway" near the Cafe de Paris club, reported the Daily Mirror on Monday, which published video footage to prove it.
Wilshere had become "embroiled in an argument inside the club which spilled out onto the street" and was subsequently accused of assault, says the paper, an allegation the player strenuously denies.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
It is an unwelcome return to the public eye for Wilshere, who has a track record of being caught in unfortunate circumstances, often with a cigarette in his hand. Up until this week, he had been keeping an admirably low profile after a broken leg last summer saw him relegated to the sidelines.
Last week, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger revealed the midfielder was close to a comeback last week and backed calls for him to be included in Roy Hodgson's England squad for Euro 2016.
Now Wilshire finds himself making headlines on the front pages as well as the back.
Wilshire was entitled to a night out, writes Jack Pitt-Brook in The Independent. "Yet the incident, not the first of its type, betrays a remarkable lack of judgement from the midfielder.
"Wenger spoke with real sympathy and feeling about Wilshere's situation on Friday morning... And yet the following night, at the crossroads of his career, days before his planned return, with everyone desperate for him to succeed, Wilshere was out in the West End hiding behind bins, hoping not to get spotted. How much does he want to make the most of his talent?"
Given the circumstances, says Adrian Durham in the Daily Mail, "would it be so hard for Wilshere just to stay at home and have a quiet night in? Does he have to be at a nightclub in the middle of London at 2am? In any way does that contribute to him making as quick and effective a return as possible?
"Arsenal might need him, England want him, so surely someone either at Arsenal or the FA should be on his case on a daily basis pointing him in the right direction," he adds, saying it is clear the player can't be trusted to make the right decisions.
The advice Wilshire is getting appears flawed says Matt Law in the Daily Telegraph. "There is a frustration inside Arsenal that, despite the fact he has not done anything worthy of castigation, the message has still not got through to Wilshere to keep his head down and remain out of sight to the camera-phone paparazzi," he says.
He also notes that Wilshere's father, Andy, has been part of his management team since shortly after the 2014 World Cup and that his dad's approach may not be paying off.
"If Andy is advising [him] to cut out the nights on the town... Jack is letting the words of his father drift in one ear and out of the other," he says. "Andy will, quite rightly, always be on hand to offer his son support and a hug. But it might be beneficial to leave the professional advice to the professionals and Jack needs to start listening."
Wilshere has earned himself a reputation, says Tony Cascarino of The Times. Insulting Tottenham Hotspur fans during an Arsenal FA Cup victory parade may have gone down well with the Gunners' support, but it has also ensured that he is the kind of person that will attract "loutish behaviour".
He adds: "When on earth will Jack Wilshere realise that he will stumble into trouble if he is out late at night surrounded by people who may have had a few too many drinks?"
And it is about more than bad publicity, warns Cascarino. "Wilshere suffers recurring injuries and players who do not look after themselves properly will risk more strains and breaks."
The former Irish international also recalls a question once put to him by the late Don Howe: "Do you want to be a player or a playboy?"
Wilshere is at a crucial stage of his career. "Players have to be supreme athletes," says Cascarino. "And supreme athletes have to think carefully before going clubbing."
